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Leaving behind the fast changing metropolitan cities behind, three smaller cities in South India have secured a place in the list of world’s fastest-growing urban areas in the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) survey released on Friday.
According to the survey report, Malappuram, Kozhikode and Kollam are the only Indian cities enlisted in the top 10 of the world’s fastest-growing cities.
This is when there is a preconceived notion that the maximum growth in India has been taking place in the Metropolitan cities such as national capital New Delhi along with others such as Mumbai, Kolkata, Bengaluru and etc.
Economists reacting to the announcement hold that India is changing in all aspects and business and growth opportunities are also coming up in smaller cities. With overall changes, movement of people across the country has increased and due this there are enhanced investments made in all cities not only in metros. Without investment no city can develop and investment can be increased from the movement of the people outside their boundaries and areas, with business mind.
Other cities from India making to the list are Thrissur in Kerala at 13th rank, Surat in Gujarat at 26, and Tirupur in Tamil Nadu is at 30 the position.
“Good to see that the fastest growing in India are not the monster metropolises, Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata etc. When smaller towns & cities grow it signals that wider distribution of wealth & job opportunities are underway.
India is also witnessing rapid urbanisation. With government schemes in health, education and other areas, government is also pooling in more investments in small and medium scale enterprises.
Top heavy urbanisation is fundamental problem of Indian urban landscape. Not only population but other basic facilities, including health are concentrated in metros and class one towns," said PritamDatta Fellow at The National Institute of Public Finance and Policy (NIPFP).
“When it comes to healthcare, not only corporate hospitals, but also informal health providers are highly concentrated in metro and top class towns. Development of infrastructure is the only solution," said Datta.
Gradually, the infrastructural development though is also picking up pace in various other cities apart from metropolitan cities.
Currently there are over 60 urban agglomerations in India with a population of 1 million or more against 35 in 2001. About 43 percent of the urban population of India lives in these cities. And with urban India, expected to contribute nearly three-fourths of GDP by 2020, these counter magnetic cities will help kick start an economic regeneration and thus, help create thousands of jobs and propel economic growth,"saidAshwajit Singh, Managing director, IPE Global, an international development consulting organisation.
The government should also consider giving priority to developing cities when allocating funding for development of land, housing and infrastructure," he added.